Frostburg's Main Street is home to a new Arts and Entertainment venue. Dedicated to the education, sales, documentation and perpetuation of the traditional arts in the Appalachian Region, Mountain City Traditional Art (MCTA) opened its doors to an enthusiastic throng of area residents on May 30 as part of the City's Arts Walk. Currently, 18 area artists are participating in the venture. Hand spun wool, pottery, hand crafted leather masks, baskets and quilts are just a few of the items featured at the site. MCTA will also host small performances celebrating traditional regional music, dance and storytelling.

Located at 25 East Main Street, in the lower level of the Bennett, Brewer and Associates building, the space is a partnership of the Allegany Arts Council, FrostburgFirst: A Main Street Community, and Folklore & Folklife Programming at Frostburg State University. Working in tandem, the partners hope the venue will successfully serve as an experiential educational and retail venue to teach, showcase and sell traditional art forms and hand-made products from the mountain region.

Now open Wednesdays-Sundays, MCTA will support regular workshops, demonstrations, and small performances. The space's flexible floor plan is intended to enable it to become a base for local traditional arts groups, such as quilting groups and sewing circles and traditional music and storytelling sessions. Already MCTA has a growing collection of looms, spinning wheels, sewing machines and quilting frames that can be used by area artists.

Though the products represent a myriad of materials, traditional art is the primary focus of MCTA. The space features products rooted in tradition and reflective of culture, community, and place.  MCTA organizers welcome any number of hand-crafted items representative of or produced in the Mountain Region.

The space will be in a constant state of development. Setting this venture apart from other shops, documentary materials such as photographs, videos, and narratives will be used to contextualize the products. By explaining the process involved in the creation of each product, organizers hope to foster a deeper appreciation for the traditional arts in its patrons and to inspire visitors to learn and share these techniques.  

Participating artists are asked to work with MCTA partners and FSU students to provide photographs of their work in progress, an overview of the tradition it represents and its relation to the Appalachian region, and a short biographical sketch documenting how they came to learn their craft. FSU students and MCTA staff will be adding this layer of depth throughout the summer.

In addition, MCTA will provide a forum for sharing the documentation work conducted by FSU students enrolled in Sociology 350: Folklore in Appalachia. Offered every fall, as part of the course requirements, students work with regional artists to document the region's traditional arts. The culmination of their work has been the creation of several 5 to 7 minute video documentaries featuring interviews and footage of artists at work. This documentation will be used to provide contexts for the traditional pieces featured and sold at the venue.

FSU students' energy and dedication has been a crucial component of the venue's development. For two years, FSU has been a participant in the Appalachian Teaching Project supported by the Appalachian Regional Commission. In existence since 2001, 14 colleges and universities located within the Appalachian region now participate in the program. The ARC Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP) focuses on asset based development to provide students with opportunities to work with local residents to create a sustainable future for Appalachian communities. Project aims are three fold. First, the program seeks to address community needs by creating opportunities for area residents. Second, the ATP encourages students to take an active role of leadership in their communities. And third, the project challenges students to make a long term investment in the Appalachian region. All three goals come to bear on MCTA.

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, FSU students enrolled in SOCI 350 and IDIS 491: Imagining Appalachia have been involved in designing the space, planning activities, and providing documentation to enhance the presentation of the featured arts and artists. To determine the design, students took a Spring Break Trip to research and visit similar venues in the Appalachian region. Based on those experiences, students assisted in formulating a business plan for the venue. In addition, they worked with artists to document traditional art forms in process. Now that the venue is open, FSU students will design exhibitions-photographic, audio and visual-featuring that work to contextualize the pieces showcased in the venue.

In spring 2009, FSU students cleaned and painted the space, preparing it for occupancy. Some of those same students will assist in staffing the space and overseeing workshops.

In addition to support from its primary partners, MCTA is supported by funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Frostburg State University Foundation, Maryland Traditions, and the Catherine R. Gira Campus to Community Fund. The venue is currently seeking traditional artists, musicians, and storytellers for participation. To learn more contact Kara Rogers Thomas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call MCTA at 301-687-8040.